One of the design features that has become synonymous with Tesla has been banned in China.
Under the new safety rules published there by China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, cars sold in the country must have a mechanical release on the door handle. The new rules, which take effect on January 1, 2027, will ban the electronically hidden door handles popularized by Tesla – and now found on many other electric vehicles in China.
The new rules dictate that each door (not including the tailgate) must be equipped with a mechanically released external door handle. The vehicle must also have a mechanical release in the vehicle interior. Bloomberg reported earlier about the new safety policy.
The high number of fatal incidents, where occupants have been trapped in vehicles, has raised concerns among safety regulators and lawyers around the world. China was the first country to issue a ban.
An investigated by Bloomberg Last September discovered problems with hidden door handles in Tesla vehicles, citing several accidents in which first responders or occupants were unable to open the doors because the electronic door locks did not receive enough power from the vehicle’s battery system to function properly. The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration then opened a disability investigation to a certain Tesla Model Y and Model 3 the door handle. While Tesla has manual releases on its vehicles, federal investigators have noted that the releases can be difficult for children to access, and many owners are unaware of them. Some US lawmakers have proposed regulation require manual door release on all new vehicles.
Fatal incidents in China, including an accident involving the Xiaomi SU7 electric sedan, prompted regulators there to propose changes to EV door handles last year.
The Chinese government began the process in May 2025 with more than 40 domestic vehicle manufacturers, component suppliers, and testing institutions participating in preliminary research. More than 100 industry experts held several rounds of discussions to define the standard framework and form a draft of what the standards will be. Technical Safety Requirements for Automobile Door Handles rules, according to the standards agency of the Chinese government.
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It includes dozens of automakers, including Chinese companies such as BYD, Geely Holdings, SAIC, and Xiaomi as well as foreign automakers including General Motors, Ford, Hyundai, Nissan, Porsche, Toyota, and Volkswagen. Tesla, however, is not registered as an official “drafter”, according to information posted on the website of the standards agency.